KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Finance has directed the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to collect street light fee arrears from the concerned municipalities.
From the decision of the Ministry of Finance on November 8, it has been instructed to collect the outstanding amount due from various government agencies including street lights to the authority from the relevant office.
Among the government offices, the highest electricity tariff arrears is for street lights. The outstanding amount of street lights of 331 municipalities till last Ashad .i.e. the last month of FY 2022/23 is 6.8 billion rupees. The arrears of most of the municipalities are after 2074 BS.
In one of the proposals of the third financial restructuring of the authority, it was mentioned that the tax arrears in the name of government offices including street lights will be reconciled with the government.
Kulman Ghising, the executive director of the authority, said that he had received information from the Ministry of Finance that the outstanding amount of the government agency could not be reconciled and that the amount would be collected from the relevant offices.
Executive Director Ghising said, “We proposed to reconcile the outstanding amount due from various government agencies to the authority in the account between the government and the authority, but the Ministry of Finance has decided to collect the outstanding amount from the relevant agency”. “On the same basis, we have advanced the process of recovery of the outstanding amount.”
NEA had published a public notice on October 8, giving a 45-day time period, requesting to pay the outstanding amount of street lights. The authority requested the municipalities to pay the dues of the street lights again through a public notice on 22nd of November.
Deputy Executive Director of Authority, Distribution and Customer Service Directorate Manoj Silva mentioned that the distribution centers are asking the municipalities in their area to pay the arrears and the street light lines of the non-paying municipalities have been cut.
In NEA’s Electricity Tariff Collection Regulations, 2078, there is a provision that if the electricity tariff is not paid by the 60th day after meter reading, the line can be disconnected at any time without notice.
If the toll is not paid by the 16th day after the meter reading, there is a provision to attract additional charges.
From the date of meter reading, from the 16th day to the 30th day, there is a provision to charge an additional fee at the rate of 5 percent and from the 31st day to the 40th day at the rate of 10 percent.
Consumers who do not pay the electricity tariff even on the 40th day from the date of meter reading will be charged an additional fee of 25 percent of the bill from the 41st day.
In this way, there is a provision that the electricity line can be disconnected at any time for consumers who do not pay the arrears even after the 60th day of the 25 percent rate.
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